A Bullpup Machine Gun: The SAR21 From ST Engineering – SHOT 2020

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Updated: January 28, 2020 BY Riley Baxter

A Bullpup Machine Gun: The SAR21 From ST Engineering - SHOT 2020 — The SAR21 is a sweet new machine gun from ST Engineering that features a bullpup design.

We got our hands on the SAR21 (Singapore Assault Rifle 21st century) from ST Engineering during range day, and we left with big smiles. This rifle is built in a bullpup configuration, mimicking the Steyr AUG that many of us are familiar with. However, this gun is not the same.

Because the SAR21 is a bullpup, this means that the trigger is located in front of the action. This allows for an overall shorter design while using less material; making it compact and lightweight.

When we used it at the range, I noticed that the trigger was a lot better than I expected, maybe in the five-pound range. The recoil was soft and less vertical than the typical rifle, thanks to its bullpup design. Overall, it was a great experience.

The SAR21 fires 5.56x45mm NATO from a closed bolt design and is charged with a non-reciprocating charging handle. Max firing rate ranges from 450-650 RPM while full-auto and semi-auto firing modes are selectable with the safety. Another bonus to the design is how it uses regular AR-style magazines that can be bought nearly anywhere.

This gun comes with a permanently attached 1.5x optical scope but features integrated back-up iron sights. This scope comes zeroed from the factory, but can be adjusted by the user.

This rifle is not available for purchase in the US yet, but ST Engineering is prepping the way for it to be imported as a semi auto version. For when we can purchase it, the SAR21 is available in 4 different variants, two of which feature an AR-style handguard that can accept attachments. Other’s feature a 1913 Picatinny rail instead of a scope, for which you can mount your preferred optic.